The End Is Not The End
by Cobalt-Sniper
Summary: They thought that winning the game would end it all. They thought it would put a stop to Jack, and Scratch, and English, and the Condesce. But oh, how they were wrong. New faces meet past foes, old rivals become new allies, and a horrible truth is revealed. There are things worse than the game.
1. The Choices

You finally did it.

You won.

The four of you stand in front of the green house, a large blue scepter standing in the middle of the circular platform you occupy. The scepter glows softly, and you can hear someone, some_thing_ talking hoarsely.

"_Make your wish for the new universe, and make it well."_

Not surprisingly, Rose is the first to step forward, placing her hand on the scepter and closing her eyes.

"We wouldn't be here without the trolls. They deserve this as much as we do." She says.

In a flash of bright light, four more figures appear, stumbling and falling in front of the four humans.

"They won too, so they should give their wishes as well."

And Rose pushes through the door, and is gone.

The rest of you stand there for a moment, before Gamzee walks towards the scepter. You all freeze, half expecting him to wish for the end of the new universe before it even starts.

"I... killed them... I... I can't..." He takes in a breath, seemingly calmed, and speaks again "Bring them back. Bring the dead ones back. They helped too."

There is another flash, even brighter than the first, and eight more figures appear, falling flat on the ground, letting out shrieks, screams and yowls.

Gamzee smiles guiltily, and backs through the door.

Karkat lets out a long sigh, before placing his hand on the scepter.

"Bring the Trolls back. They should be in the new universe. They should be there."

This time, nothing happens. The scepter simply glows a bit brighter, and Karkat walks through the door.

Nepeta bounces forward, a bright smile on her face "I want this. I want us all to be able to stand in one room and have reasonable talks with each other. I want us to stay together."

The scepter flashes even brighter, and Nepeta pounces through the door.

Decisions come quickly after that. Terezi wishes for her blindness back. Kanaya wishes for an afterlife for any good person, whether or not they played. Equius wishes for them not to go to the beginning of the new universe, but instead to a point in time corresponding to their own universe. Eridan wishes for everyone of them not to hate each other. Feferi wishes for the sea-dwellers to get along with the land-Trolls. Sollux wishes for his psionic powers to become controllable. Tavros wishes for his paralysis to go away, before wheeling himself through the door. Aradia wishes for the new universe to last a long time, longer than both before.

Vriska walks forward, and places her hand on the scepter.

"If anyone else knew this, they'd hate me." She breathes deeply "I wish... I wish that we could stop using the hemospectrum for our hierarchy, and that the mutants could be accepted. I can't take it any more."

And then, as if she has let a great weight down, she runs through the door.

John, Jade and Dave stand around the orb, staring it down.

"You first." Jade nods towards Dave.

Dave nods, before touching the scepter "I wish we could keep our powers in the new universe." he says simply, before swaggering through the door.

John goes next "I wish we could remember every moment of the game, no matter what happens." and he is gone.

Jade stands there, alone, before letting out a long, loud sigh.

"I wish... I wish for us to be happy in the new universe."

And the chamber is empty, lit only by the glow of the scepter.

Suddenly, three figures appear in the room, calmly taking in the orb. They join hands before two of them touch the orb.

The room goes pitch-black for a moment, before the orb atop the scepter glows the brightest white, illuminating the chamber as the three enter the new universe.

And without anyone noticing, the tiniest sliver of pure black slips through the door and into the new universe.


	2. Unexpected Meetings

Your name is John Egbert, and you don't think you'll ever get used to the new universe.

It's not radically different; you live on a planet called Earth, comprised mostly of water, orbiting a large star, with regular tides caused by a moon orbiting your planet, absorbing the force of most meteors.

It's the small things that have changed. Things like the grey-skinned, horned Trolls walking alongside perfectly normal humans. Things like the movie theatres with posters half-covered in text. Things like the boy staring at you from behind the apartment building.

After the game, the four humans and twelve trolls had found that they had each been given a medium-sized apartment and a large sum of money that never seemed to go down no matter what they bought.

The apartment complex was not completely for the players, though. Although no one from the new universe could ever recall anyone living in the currently occupied apartments before them, there were two apartments on the top floor that seemed to have always been in use.

Now, just as you are fishing around in his pocket for your keys, wondering if you had left them inside again, you caught sight of a head of blond hair, a pair of hazel eyes, a baggy red sweater, just before the boy poked his head back around the corner.

You sigh. This is the third time this week you have seen the boy. You know he lives with his mother and father on the ninth floor, directly above you. You know he goes to the local high school, the same one as most of the people in this area. The sixteen of you are the only ones that don't, partly because you don't have to, partly because you don't want to.

You cease your losing battle with the door, instead turning to face the corridor, searching for...

There! You just barely see a flicker of pale skin and blond hair as it peers around, disappearing as quickly as it came.

"I know you're there." you say softly.

Not a moment later, the boy walks out from behind the wall. His hands are clasped behind his back, and he scuffs his shoes on the wood floor. His clothes are grimy, his sweater covered in dirt, his jeans scratched and tattered. He looks everywhere but your eyes, as if ashamed.

"You've been watching me all week." you state.

"All month, actually." he replies, a small smile playing across his face.

"All month?" you suddenly feel self-conscious. How did you not notice him before?

"Yeah... I normally hide on the fire escape." he smirks.

"That is... kinda cool, I guess." you smile widely, thinking of all the pranks you could pull from up there.

"Yeah..." he chuckles, swinging his arms by his sides "My friend told me about it. It's one of his hiding spots."

"Your friend... you mean the other guy on the top floor?" you ask slowly.  
"Yeah, him. He's not a people person. Actually, he's a bit of a-"

"**AARON!"**

The voice is loud and carries easily across the relatively quiet hallway.

"Shit." he mumbles, turning to look back the way he came "Sorry, gotta go! Serena'll kill me if she knows I'm here."

"Go ahead." you nod, the smile not leaving your face.

"**AARON NADEL, GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!"**

Aaron, as you now know him to be called, grimaces. "Hold on, Serena! I'll be right there!" he turns back to you "I really won't."

Then he takes off for the fire stairs, exactly where the voice _didn't _come from.

A moment later, a Troll, around the same age as you and Aaron, rounds the corner, most likely just having exited the lifts.

Her hair is a dark shade of brown, and her yellow eyes are tinted slightly olive coloured, like Nepeta's became recently. Her black nails have been filed into neat rectangles, making her look slightly more human, despite the curved horns, reminiscent of pigtails, growing from the sides of her head.

She stops a bit in front of you, panting and crouching low. "Aaron! You promised you'd help me look for him!"

"I am!" Aaron's voice drifts from the stairwell "I'm going to check the roof!"

"I just looked there!"

"I'll check again!"

"Ugh!" Serena throws her hands up in defeat, before noticing you. "Hi there!"

"Um... Hey." you wave nervously.

"Sorry for the noise." she whispers. "Aaron's meant to be helping me look for my brother, but he's so stubborn!"

She turns back to the staircase. **"DAYLON! DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYLON!"**

**SLAM!**

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, FARROW!"

Your name is Karkat Vantas, and there is a man in your closet.

Really, it's not your closet. It's the supply closet at the end of the hallway that opens into yours and John's apartments.

And actually, it's not a man. This boy can't yet be eight sweeps, and he looks so small in his oversized grey hoodie and blue jeans rolled up at the cuffs.

He stares up at you as you notice him, his eyes hidden behind a pair of thick rectangular sunglasses, the rest of his face so pale it's almost grey. His hood is up, but you can see the strands of brown hair that fall from his fringe.

"What the fuck are you doing in my closet?" you ask, leaning against the door.

"You never use it, and it's warmer here than the roof." he replies, as if it's common knowledge "Besides, it's raining, and I don't want to get my book wet."

You stare at him, your yellow-red eyes conveying all the anger you are feeling right now. "Well then who the fuck, if I may ask, are you?"

He stands up, revealing himself to be almost as tall as you. "Dylan Farthings." he holds out his hand.

"Karkat Vantas." you take the hand reluctantly, surprised when you find it cold to the touch. You wonder if he has ever been warm.

"**AARON!"**

You start, turning to the door. "What the fuck was that?"

"Just my idiot sister looking for my friend." Dylan shrugs. "So, why are you suddenly deciding to use the supply closet."

This is not a statement. It is a question with a period.

"Looking for laundry detergent."

He holds up a bottle, pressing it into your hand.

"No you're not."

You swear he is staring you down, though of course you can't tell.

"**AARON NADEL, GET BACK HERE THIS INSTANT!"**

Dylan groans, pressing his head into the wall. "Idiots."

You nod your agreement, sure that this mysterious caller is _trying_ to be obnoxious.

"But you're still lying."

You look back up at Dylan as he stares at you.

"Alright, fine."

"You promised you'd help me look for him!"

Dylan's eye twitches.

"I needed a break." you sigh.

"I just looked there!"

It twitches again.

"My friends are such utter idiots, I needed to-"

"**DAYLON!"**

Dylan shakes visibly.

"**DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYLON!"**

He snaps.

He pushes you aside, flinging the door open with an almighty SLAM, screaming in a voice that puts your worst tantrum to shame.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP, FARROW!"

Your name is still John Egbert, and you haven't moved since this new boy swore at the troll standing next to you.

"Daylon, there you are!" Serena yells. "Aaron, come back, I found Daylon!"

"My name is Dylan and you know it!" the boy (Daylon?) yells, taking a step away from the supply closet, allowing Karkat to slip out of the small room and stand next to you.

"Who's that guy?" you ask quietly.

"Fuck if I know." Karkat shrugs, staring at the two as they make their exchange, Aaron appearing from the stairwell.

"So you're siblings?" you ask, interrupting the heated argument.

"Yes." Serena says, at the exact time Dylan says "Legally."

He shakes his head, and you don't ask.

"Why the fuck did you feel the need to scream the building down?" Dylan asks.

"Because, _Daylon,_" Serena starts, smirking as Dylan's eye twitches again, "Josh and Lily want us back for dinner. It's late, you know?"

"I'm spending the night at Caleb's, remember?" he says.

"But Caleb called to cancel an hour ago."

"Shit." Dylan groans. "We have to study for the Science test tomorrow."

"Sure, 'study'. This definitely isn't just another excuse to mack on your matesprit." Serena waggles her fingers.

"Shut the fuck up, he is not." Dylan punches Serena in the arm.

"That doesn't mean you don't want him to be."

Dylan flips double birds before retreating to the stairwell, Aaron following a moment later.

"He's normally very calm." Serena smiles widely, her fangs glinting in the artificial light "He just gets a bit irritable when you interrupt his meditation."

"If he always gets that way, why do you interrupt him?" Karkat asks.

Because if he's calm, I can't make fun of him for his flush crush!" Serena giggles like a schoolgirl.

"Anyway, I should go. It's barbecue night!" She waves excitedly, before running after her 'legal' brother and friend.

"Well." Karkat says.

"That was interesting."

"Agreed."

The two of you then proceed to retreat into your individual apartments, your keys somehow appearing on the doorstep, which you note Serena had been standing on for a while.

_She planned this_, you realise. _She wanted us to meet._

Your name is John Egbert, and you just got played like a violin.


	3. Mail Call

Your name is Karkat Vantas, and you hate your dreams.

The Prospit your past dream self lived on was part of the old universe. For the quarter-sweep you've been in this universe, your dreams are nothing short of insanity.

This one was about an old story you read when you were four. It was about a powerful psionic who hid his abilities out of fear. It's been so long since you read it, you can't really remember what happens. Something about lords and knights and chess.

Anyway, you shake yourself out of your dream, pushing aside your grey sheets and standing up, pushing yourself in front of your grubtop, checking your Trollian for new messages. You wouldn't put it past Terezi or Gamzee to message you at the most ungodly hours.

Sure enough, you have quite a few missed messages. Surprisingly, though, most of them are from the John Human.

**ectoBiologist [EB] started pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG]**

**EB: hey Karkat!**

**EB: I know it's late but I really need to talk to you.**

**EB: it's about that weird kid we saw last night**

**EB: Karkat?**

**CG: GOG, EGBERT, IT'S THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT.**

**EB: hi Karkat!**

**CG: WHAT DID YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT.**

**EB: I wanted to ask you something**

**EB: didn't that guy Dylan look familiar to you?**

When you think about it, you suppose he does remind you of someone. You can't remember who, though.

**CG: I GUESS. AND THAT SERENA CHICK.**

**EB: her too.**

**EB: actually, I used to go to school with a girl called Serena.**

**EB: I actually dated her for a while.**

**EB: she wasn't my type, though.**

**CG: I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ABOUT YOUR PATHETIC LOVE LIFE, OR LACK OF.**

**CG: THOSE TWO CREEP ME OUT.**

**CG: I FEEL LIKE THEY KNOW SOMETHING WE DON'T.**

**EB: yeah!**

**EB: Serena stole my keys so that I'd notice Aaron spying on me!**

**EB: she played me like a violin!**

**CG: AND THAT DYLAN KID**

**CG: I WENT INTO THE SUPPLY CLOSET FOR LAUNDRY DETERGENT, AND HE ALREADY HAS MY REGULAR BRAND AT THE READY.**

**CG: THEY KNEW. SERENA KNEW WHERE YOUR KEYS WERE, AND DYLAN KNEW WHAT I'D SAY WHEN I WALKED IN.**

**EB: I'm gonna ask Rose and Terezi if they know anything.**

**EB: they are seers.**

**CG: DON'T BOTHER THEM**

**CG: WE DON'T NEED SEERS TO FIGURE OUT THE INTENTIONS OF A BUNCH OF WRIGGLERS**

**EB: we're 'wrigglers' too, Karkat**

**CG: YES, BUT WE MADE THIS UNIVERSE. WE HAVE RIGHTS.**

**CG: BUT DON'T MAKE A POINT OF TALKING TO THEM.**

**CG: DON'T MAKE OPPORTUNITIES**

**CG: TAKE THEM.**

**EB: okay Karkat, if you say so**

**EB: I'm going to the store later today. Dave wants me to pick up some AJ. You want anything?**

**CG: I'M FINE**

**CG: I DON'T NEED YOU DOING MY SHOPPING**

**EB: okay then!**

**EB: I'll go now; bye, Karkat!**

**ectoBiologist [EB] ceased pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG]**

You hear a door open and shut, and the sound of the lift rattling down.

John has left.

You stand up, deciding to check the mail. You never get any; you doubt many people outside the building know you even exist.

You take the stairs; John is still taking the lift down, and you need the exercise. You do a little dance over one step, which seems to be covered in juice of some sort. You scowl; this is on Dave's level.

You reach the lobby, walking over to the wall covered in boxes. You take a small key out of your pocket, pushing it into the slot above the grey '8A'. You feel it click open, and reach inside. Surprisingly, you feel a letter inside, and pull it out. Your name is printed neatly on the top in green ink, but there is no address. It was obviously delivered by the mailer, placed directly in the box. You place the envelope in your back pocket, lock the box back up, and turn to leave.

You start when you notice you are not alone.

Dylan and Serena are holding a hushed conversation on one of the leather couches in the corner. Serena seems to be explaining something to Dylan, who wants no part of the entire exchange.

You watch as Dylan groans, mock-growling and standing up. You notice something shine from within the sleeves of his green-and-black hunting jacket, and watch as he pulls his sleeves down to cover his hands, the shining metal disappearing, most likely into a Strife Specibus.

You go back to the stairwell, climbing back up to your floor. Halfway there you hear something fall heavily behind you. You turn to find Dylan groaning, sprawled over the stairs, a faint green aura hanging around him for a moment, before dissipating. You shrug this off as a trick of the light, bending down to examine the boy now getting to his feet.

His glasses are crooked, and you just get a glimpse of bloodshot blue eyes before he fixes them, hiding his face once more.

"Sorry, I guess I misjudged that step." he murmurs, making to move past you.

You don't let him.

"I saw you talking down there." you say simply.

"Yeah, Serena was teaching me about genetic mutations. I don't really give a fuck, so..."

"I don't care what you were talking about." you reply "I saw that knife you pulled."

He seems confused for a moment, before laughing slightly. "Oh, you mean my Specibus. Yeah, I got a bit angry at her trying to tell me about all the fucked up shit other people have going on with them. I may or may not have gotten a bit riled up."

Dylan pulls up his jacket sleeve, and five small knives appear, one on each finger. You can't really tell, but they seem to retract and push forward somehow.

"Claws." you whisper.

"Cool, huh? My friend made them for me after he broke my bow. He did a good job."

"Yeah." you murmur, taking in the cold glint of steel as he flexes his fingers. His hand tenses, and the claws jut out, a good inch past each of your fingers. You notice that the claws are tinted black, almost like Troll claws. He retracts them again, and you snap to attention.

"I'd best go. My father I back from his business trip. He'll want to see me."

But Dylan doesn't move.

He just stands there, silent and still, staring at your shoe.

Eventually you hear someone running upstairs, and Serena appears, standing next to Dylan, holding his shoulder, guiding him up the stairs, whispering in his ear, hugging him as his shoulders heave, as tears fall onto the concrete.

He disappears from sight, and you hear one noise, just one choked sob as the door closes.

Your name is Karkat Vantas, and that one noise just broke your heart.


	4. Preparing For The Big Night

Your name is Karkat Vantas, and you really should have soundproofed the ceiling.

You can hear the screaming and shouting coming from the apartment above yours. You can't make out the words, but you know enough to tell that someone is angry, and some_ones_ are being attacked for it.

You can hear the crying a something heavy strikes skin again, most likely leaving a mark. Someone screams, and you hear an older voice yell something, almost loud enough for you to make out the words.

You hear the sound of a door slamming, followed by pounding footsteps. You hear two people run down your hall and into the elevator, followed by someone else, screaming curses.

"YOU SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN BORN! GET BACK HERE SO I CAN FINISH!"

You hear the elevator move away, and the man returns to the upstairs apartment, fuming.

You stand up, still fully clothed, and push the door open, peering outside before stepping through, shutting the door behind you.

You turn to the elevators, and they are both stuck on the roof. You take the stairs three at a time, pushing into the cool autumn air blowing over the rooftops.

No one is there.

The roof is completely empty, and if it weren't for the trail of olive and red blood leading to the edge, you'd think no one had come here.

You peer over the edge, seeing no one there. You do, however, see the trail of blood continue, splitting in two and winding through back alleys.

You don't follow.

* * *

Your name is John Egbert, and Karkat Vantas is in a bad mood.

You first realised this when he tripped on the stairs and did not swear. It was reassured when you called him by one of your pet names, and he simply grunted. You finally figured out this was more than a simple irritation when he agreed to accompany you on your trip to the movie store.

"Karkat." you sigh, holding him up before he can step out of the blue Audi he bought after he got his license.

"What do you want?" he growls, shrugging off your hand.

"Something's bothering you." you say simply.

"What makes you think that?" he asks, growling.

"You actually came here with me when I asked. You didn't even argue." you get out of the car, moving around to Karkat's door.

"I'm just thinking." Karkat replies, getting out and walking to the movie store.

"Oh no, Karkat's thinking." you joke.

"Shut the fuck up."

A long silence follows as you browse the aisles of the movie store.

"I think we should invite Dylan and his friends to movie night."

You turn, surprised "Why?"

"Because, dipshit, isn't that what neighbours do?" he replies, picking up one of those troll movies with the insanely long name.

"I guess so." you reply, wondering vaguely if this has anything to do with the shouting you heard last night "I'll ask them when we get back."

"You'd better." he replies, taking another rom-com before following you as you pick out a few action movies, specifically _not_ Con Air.

After you pay for the movies, you go to the store and buy a few bags of microwave popcorn and butter, and a tub of vanilla ice cream.

Karkat stays silent for the rest of the trip, messaging someone on the phone you insisted he buy to replace that horrible watch.

He looks up, noticing your stare, and scowls, baring his fangs. "What the fuck are you looking at?"

"You've been on your phone for the better part of a hour." you reply, craning your neck to get a glimpse of his screen.

"I'm just texting, fuckass." he scowls, putting away his phone before you see who he's messaging.

"Who're ya texting?" you ask.

"Just someone." he replies, climbing out of your car. "I'll take this shit upstairs. Whose turn is it?"

"Vriska's, I think." you reply, giggling at the _precious_ scowl that covers Karkat's face.'

"Fine. I'll go socialise with the spider-bitch." Karkat takes the bags off the back seat and trudges inside, going straight to the elevator.

You take the stairs, lightly jogging to the top floor. The apartment above yours is blaring out loud rock music. You decide to invite the occupants of the other apartment first.

You walk up to apartment 9A, knocking loudly on the door.

A moment later, a man opens the door.

He can't be older than 19, his black hair almost covering his brown eyes. His skin is tan, covered only by a pair of shorts and a tank top. He looks down at you, his eyes seemingly frozen in a look of curiosity.

"Can I help you?" he asks.

"Um..." you start "Are Dylan and Serena here?"

"Yeah, sure. One minute." he steps back into the apartment, gesturing for you to follow.

The apartment is the same size as yours, and the living room is decorated in shades of blue. There is a girl on the couch, almost identical to the man who greeted you.

The man walks over to a door, painted half green and half red. He raps on the door harshly. "Okay guys, enough with the creepy séance shit! You got a visitor!"

A moment passes, before the door opens and Dylan and Serena walk out. Dylan is fiddling with his hood, and Serena is laughing and bouncing up and down.

They stop when they see you. Dylan pulls his hood tight, and Serena stops giggling.

"Um, hi..." you say.

"Hey."

"Sup."

The replies are quick and rigid.

"So, Karkat wanted to invite you to our movie night tonight." you say.

"Wow, really?" Serena smiles widely "I'd love to come! Can I invite Aaron?"

"Sure. I was actually gonna invite him after you."

"Can I invite a friend?" Dylan asks "We were meant to study for the Science test tonight, but I know he'd love to come."

"Sure!" you reply. "Not a problem!"

"Great!" Serena cheers.

"Okay then! Be at 3B by eight!" you smile.

"Wouldn't miss it." Dylan replies, turning pointedly back to his room.

Serena pulls a face. "Sorry about my idiot brother. He's in a bit of a mood. I'll make sure he doesn't miss movie night."

You smile gratefully. "Thanks, Serena. See you tonight!"

"Bye!" she replies.

You leave.

* * *

Your name is Karkat Vantas, and Vriska is a self-centred bitch.

Don't get yourself wrong, Vriska's been better since you beat the game. She stopped bitching about your blood colour, and her days of acting better than everyone are (mostly) over.

She is, however, still a bitch.

You are currently arranging your snacks on Vriska's kitchen counter, pouring chips and popcorn into large bowls, and setting out plastic cups and bowls on the coffee table.

Vriska, of course, is doing nothing.

Well, she isn't doing nothing. She's sitting on the couch, texting and listening to music. Occasionally she will laugh, or giggle, or just grunt. It's fucking annoying.

You finally finished getting ready, and now you are sitting opposite Vriska, staring at a point directly over her shoulder. You notice her royal blue paint has chipped by the light switch, giving way to the horrible green the room was originally painted. You can also see that the damp has started to seep in, leaving a horrible dark spot on the corner of the ceiling.

Before you can find anything wrong with Vriska's apartment, John walks in through the door, slamming it behind him and plopping down next to Vriska.

"Done." he sighs. "Dylan asked if he could invite his friend, and I said yes. That's okay, right?"

"Sure." Vriska smiles widely at her moirail. "There's plenty of room for one more!"

"Thanks, Vriska!" John returns the smile, laughing slightly as he pulls out his phone and sends a quick text. "I told everyone to be here around half past seven, so they'll all be here when Dylan and Serena arrive.

At seven twenty, Equius and Nepeta arrive, settling down in the smallest couch. Aradia crosses the hallway a minute later, followed closely by Eridan and Sollux. Jade, Rose and Kanaya let themselves in not long after, then Feferi, Dave, Terezi, Gamzee, and Tavros.

You all have a bit of a laugh for a while, until five minutes to seven, when the doorbell goes off.

"I'll get it!" Vriska yells, bouncing up and going to the front door, hidden behind the corner of the oddly-placed kitchen.

The door swings open.

Vriska screams.

Someone else screams.

Three other people screams.

The scraping clang of metal hitting metal resounds through the apartment.


	5. House Guests

**Hey guys!**

**So I thought I already uploaded this chapter, but apparently that was a wild hallucination!**

**So Aiyuki-Okumura asked for a list of all the ships in this story.**

**I'm not just gonna give away all the ships, but here's a list of all the established ships. More to come later:  
Pale John X Vriska  
Pale Gamzee X Karkat  
Pale Equius X Nepeta  
Pale Aradia X Sollux  
Pale Eridan X Feferi  
Flushed Dave X Terezi  
Flushed Gamzee X Tavros  
Flushed/Black Eridan X Sollux  
Flushed Equius X Aradia  
Flushed Kanaya X Rose  
Black Vriska X Tavros**

**No, these are not all the ships involved. Yes, these are all the ships that have already left the harbor. Yes, there will be more later**

**Yes, I will eventually write the next chapter of Changes & Chances.**

**Yes, there is a new story I am writing. It will be up once I have the first few chapters ready.**

**No, I won't stop writing this.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

Your name is John Egbert, and your guest just attacked the host.

The moment you hear the sound of metal on metal, you rushed to the door.

The first thing you think is _oh, Dylan and Serena are here._

Then you wonder, _who's that kid holding Dylan?_

Then you start to think, _why does that kid need to hold Dylan?_

Then you see the sharpened sickles in Dylan's hands, and all rational thought walks in the other direction.

Vriska has flinched back against the wall. She is shaking slightly, but not overly freaking out. Serena seems to be trying to talk to her, but isn't doing a very good job.

Dylan seems to have come to his senses, though the sharp sickles in his hands, held back by a large sword, betray this fact. Aaron is trying to take the sharp objects away from Dylan, while the unknown boy has Dylan's hands pinned at his sides, pressing down on the small of Dylan's back.

Dylan's sickles finally disappear, and Aaron breathes a sigh of relief, caching his sword away. The unknown boy lets go of Dylan, releasing his arms.

You hear Dylan murmur "Thanks, Erin."

"No problem." The boy replies, dusting off his orange jacket.

Vriska pushes herself off the wall. "Why the hell did you invite _him_?"

Dylan stares directly at the point between you and Vriska, giving the impression he is sizing the both of you up. "Why didn't you say _Serket_ would be here?"

"Um…"

You turn, and see Karkat in the doorway.

"You both live in the same building. The odds of her not being here are fucking slim."

Dylan turns to Karkat, and the two glare at each other for a long moment before Karkat crosses his eyes and Dylan bursts into laughter.

"Why'd you do that?" you turn to Karkat.

He shrugs, as if unsure himself. Karkat glances at Dylan, who seems to have regained the ability to breathe.

He promptly loses it again when Serena punches him in the gut.

"You utter idiot! Why the hell did you do that?" she yells angrily.

"It's her fault for insulting me!" Dylan replies calmly, his gaze back on Vriska.

You look questioningly at your moirail, and see that she is looking a bit sheepish.

"Vriska, what did you say?" you ask sternly.

"That was perigrees ago!" she responds, answering your question not at all.

"Vriska." You repeat. "What did you say?"

"I called him a rust-blood ONE TIME!" she yells.

You stare at her.

You laugh.

"Vriska, ALL HUMANS ARE RUST-BLOODS!" you yell.

Vriska turns, and gives Dylan a questioning look.

Dylan stares right at her, not blinking.

Vriska shakes her head and looks away.

Did you see right? Did someone actually out-psyche Vriska Serket? That's it, the world's ended.

Again.

Stranger things have happened, you suppose.

The seven of you walk back through the door, the issue pushed out of your mind.

You all go to sit down, deciding that enough time has been wasted, and that the movie should start. You sit between Karkat and Gamzee. Nepeta and Equius sit together on the love seat. Feferi and Eridan sit on the corner, and Sollux perches next to them. Aradia sits on the end of the couch closest to Equius. Vriska sits next to Tavros, who is next to Gamzee. Karkat is next to Serena, who is leaning on Aaron's shoulder. Aaron is in turn next to Erin, who is next to Dave and Terezi, who are next to Kanaya and Rose, who are next to Jade, who is next to Sollux.

Dylan insists on sitting on the floor, his head resting against the seat between Serena and Aaron. Serena slaps him upside the head, and Aaron teasingly kicks his side. Dylan does not move.

You watch one of Karkat's cheesy rom-coms first, which pleases Erin and Dylan, who seem very partial to the genre. You and Gamzee joke about how cliché the movie is, and Karkat repeatedly clamps your jaw shut to keep you quiet.

Nepeta has fallen asleep before the movie ends, wrapped in her oversized jacket. Aradia is slumped on the arm of the couch, snoring slightly. Feferi is leaning back, her mouth open and her chest heaving slowly as she dozes.

You watch an action movie next, the volume low so that no one wakes up. Serena and Aaron agree that the movie rocks, and Gamzee says that the movie is 'motherfucking miraculous'. Karkat hates it as usual.

Jade's narcolepsy kicks in as the credits roll, and Tavros has fallen asleep on top of Gamzee. Equius has dozed off, leaning against the arm of the love seat as Nepeta curls up against him. Vriska is snoring obnoxiously, and Dave has nodded off silently, without anyone even noticing.

A few movies later, barely anyone is left. Only you, Karkat, Dylan, Serena and Erin are still awake, the rest in varying degrees of sleep. You are watching one of Karkat's better rom-coms, which Serena hates but Dylan claims is the best piece of cinematography to ever exist.

Karkat falls asleep partway through the movie, and you decide that sleeping Karkat is the most adorable thing you have ever seen. He curls up into a ball, knees against his chin, head leaning on your shoulder. His breaths are short and shallow, and you can feel his breath on your neck.

Serena falls asleep not much later, and Erin follows her soon after.

You glance at the clock; 1:07 am.

You don't know how you've stayed up this long. Normally you fall asleep before midnight. You suppose you haven't really done much today, besides going shopping and briefly visiting Dylan upstairs. You had decided against visiting Aaron, as Serena seemed adamant on inviting him.

But soon enough you begin to feel tired, and your eyes begin to droop.

You don't notice Dylan still awake on the floor.

You don't notice as he lowers his hood.

You don't notice as he takes off his glasses.

You don't notice as he removes his disguise.


End file.
